Michelin Quality Control

[Lynn]

Any guys here in the tire business?

I have used Michelin tires on daily drivers for over 50 years. I have used them on everything from a DD Opel Manta back in the 70s to high performance BMWs and even my 1949 Studebaker farm truck (the sizes for a Chevy 3500 HD fit perfectly).

I have always been impressed with quality. I used to own an auto repair shop, before going to law school in the 80s. I have my own hobby shop now, and recently picked up a made in U.S.A. Ranger tire balancer and rim clamp tire machine. I had not planned on getting this equipment, but ran across a deal too good to pass up. Besides, it was kind of a hassle to order tires from Tire Rack, take the tires and wheels off of whatever vehicle I was replacing tires on, throwing them in the back of my El Camino and taking them to a local shop to be mounted and balanced.

After getting my balancer hooked up and calibrated, I balanced the tires on my son’s 07 Suburban. He had just had four Michelins installed a few months ago but was complaining about vibration at highway speeds. EVERY one of the four tires was at least a full ounce out of balance.

To the point of my post. Two of his almost new Michelin tires are significantly out of round. The factory allow wheels are perfectly straight. Of course I put the two best (round) tires on front. It drives significantly smoother. I did not put a dial indicator on, but I have checked many tires for out of round in the past, and my “memory meter” would say about .060” at the very least.

So, thought I would check the balance on my 04 Yukon XL Denali. Again, new Michelins. This time THREE of the four are out of round. Again, the factory alloy wheels are perfectly straight.

1. Has Michelin quality control gotten this bad? Back in the day, I was always impressed with how perfectly round the Michelins were. I have also been impressed with Continental for roundness. Never saw a “brand X” tire that was very round, other than some really nice 13 inch tires I put on my Opel GT. They were made in Taiwan, and are very close to being perfectly round.

2. Is there a brand that has better quality control? I don’t think I have Continentals on any of my cars right now (may have some on the front of an old Bimmer, but would have to check).

I am getting ready to buy tires for Sherri’s 2019 Ioniq Plug in Hybrid. It came with Michelin Energy Saver in 205 55 16. The original tires have 60k miles on them and will go another 5 or 10k. I balanced them a few weeks ago (for the first time) and they did not need much weight. Also, much more round than the other Michelins I have checked lately. They were obviously manufactured a few years ago, not like the ones my son and I bought in the last year.